7. You can’t control it all.

[clear-line]

7. You can’t control it all.

It’s impossible for us to live in this world and not have a stake in people, things, and outcomes. It’s natural and inevitable, but it’s also where anxiety and worry can become a problem. That’s because there will always be things that we care about—a job, a relationship, or even nice weather—whose fate is outside of our ability to control or influence.

Accepting that not everything you care about can be under your control is life-changing. It can spare you endless struggles in hopeless situations. It will free up energy for things you can actually achieve. It could make you happier, more effective, and easier to get along with.

You can’t control all things, but you can increase your influence by focusing on what’s within your power.

[clear-line]

Why Hard Truths?

Uncertainty. Vulnerability. Death. Hard truths have a secret power over us. We’d rather ignore them. Like a virus in our mental software, they operate on the seams that bind the rational and the emotional, and that’s where they trap us. By running away we become their slaves. Only by accepting them can we become free.

This book is an attempt to help you confront these realities of life. It catalogues some of the most universally known but universally resisted hard truths in a fun and engaging format. Like a pre-flight checklist, it will help you review these truths whenever you need to. Accepting them fully? That’s entirely up to you.

[clear-line]

What’s In This Book

16 Hard Truths

16 Gorgeous Illustrations

48 Self-Evaluation Questions

17 Links to Relevant Books & Talks

[clear-line]

How Do Different Versions Compare?

All versions have the same content, but please keep in mind:

The Hardcover Edition is the only edition that has gorgeous full-page illustrations. It’s a square 8″ x 8″ format and each Truth is a two-page spread with illustration on the left and text on the right. Links from the book can be accessed here.

The iBooks Edition contains Hi-Res illustrations as well as a more interactive feel.

The PDF Edition is completely DRM-free, which means you can download it to all your devices. It also contains Hi-Res illustrations.

The Kindle Edition will only look great on a Kindle Fire device. It also has a slightly lower resolution and a narrower layout than the other versions because of technical limitations.

[clear-line]

About Us

Eran Dror is an Israeli-born writer, journalist, and designer who spent the past nine years in New York City. His writing can be found at: erandror.com

John Cox is an Illustrator, editorial cartoonist and oil painter who works in Atlanta, Georgia. His daily creative efforts can be found at: johncoxart.com